Dowdo

Ingredients

• 8¾ ozFlourfor the noodle dough, wholemeal or a mix of plain and durum flour; extra for dusting
• ½ cupWaterfor the noodle dough
• ½ tspSaltfor the noodle dough
• 3 tbspOilneutral or peanut oil for frying
• 1Onionchopped or sliced
• 1 tbspginger and garliccrushed, equal parts (optional)
• 10½ ozMeatminced chicken or diced lamb
• 2Tomatomedium, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ tspTurmericground (optional)
• ½ tspChiliground; alternatively one fresh chili, chopped
• 1 tspBlack peppercoarsely ground
• 1 tspSaltfor the soup, adjust to taste
• 2 tbspfenugreek leaveschopped (optional)
• 8½ cupsWaterfor the soup; alternatively vegetable stock
• 5¼ ozcarrotsliced or in pieces (optional)
• 5¼ ozleeksliced (optional)
• mintfresh leaves to finish (optional)

Method

1. Knead and rest the doughKnead the flour, water and salt into a firm, smooth dough. Cover it and let it rest for about 30 minutes while you get the soup going.
2. Fry onion, ginger and garlicHeat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion until light golden. Add the ginger and garlic and fry briefly, just until fragrant.
3. Brown the meatAdd the meat, either minced chicken or diced lamb, and fry, stirring, until it has changed colour all over.
4. Stir in tomatoes and spicesStir in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt, black pepper and chili and let everything cook for 4–5 minutes. Finally, stir in the fenugreek leaves.
5. Add stock and simmerPour in the water or vegetable stock and, if you're using them, add the carrots and leek. Bring to the boil, then partly cover and simmer over low heat for 15–25 minutes.
6. Roll out the noodle doughMeanwhile, roll the noodle dough out thinly on a well-floured surface.
7. Flour and cut the noodlesDust the sheet of dough generously with flour and fold it loosely, or cut it into wide strips. Then use a sharp knife to cut it into thin noodles.
8. Cook the noodles in the soupAdd the noodles to the simmering soup along with the flour that clings to them, cover and cook over low heat for 6–10 minutes, until tender.
9. Season and serve hotSeason the soup to taste with salt, pepper and chili, scatter over a few fresh mint leaves if you like, and serve hot.

Tips and variations

For a heartier Dowdo, swap the minced chicken for lamb. In that version, winter vegetables such as leek, cabbage and carrots are seared separately over high heat first instead of simmering in the broth, and only then go into the soup. If you like firmer noodles, dry the sheets of dough briefly in a pan or let them air-dry a little before cutting. You can also make the dough with egg instead of water and cook the noodles separately in salted water, which keeps the broth clear. For a meat-free version, use vegetable stock with carrot, leek, celery, kohlrabi, peas and shop-bought soup noodles. Mushrooms and a splash of white balsamic vinegar add a fresh note. To serve, ladle the soup into deep bowls and tear fresh mint over it at the table.